President's Secretariat
President of India pays visits to his native village Paraunkh at Kanpur and his ancestral house
attends Jan Abhinandan Samaroh
for me, Paraunkh is my birthplace from where I always get inspirations to go forward and serve the country: President Kovind
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind reached his native village Paraunkh in Kanpur Dehat, Uttar Pradesh today  during his five-day visit to Uttar Pradesh. This is the first time that the President is visiting his birthplace after taking over his present assignment. The President commenced his visit to Paraunkh by paying his respects to Pathri Mata Mandir followed by paying tributes to Dr BR Ambedkar at his statue. Subsequently, the President visited his ancestral house which has been converted in a community centre for the villagers. He also visited Veerangana Jhalkari Bai Inter College in the village.
Later, the President attended a public felicitation  function at the Paraunkh village. Speaking on the occasion, the President said that wherever he lives, he is always beholden to the smell of his village’s soil and fond memories of the villagers. For him, Paraunkh is his birthplace from where he always gets inspirations to go forward and serve the country.
Remembering his classmates – Shri Jaswant Singh, Shri Vijaypal Singh alias Sallu Singh, Shri Hariram, Shri Chandrabhan Singh Bhadauria, Shri Rajaram and Shri Dashrath Singh, the President said that he studied with them and shared future dreams together. Values like helping each other were created in those days of childhood. Those friends and classmates have a special place in his life. He said that the environment and people of this village have also helped him in various dimensions of life.
The President also remembered many prominent people of his village who have played major role in strengthening the ideals of social unity, religious tolerance, harmony, awareness for education and consciousness of duties in the village environment. He said that these values impacted his thinking.
Recalling his school days, the President said that after getting primary education in Paraunkh, he went to Khanpur for junior high school. At that time there was no school for post-primary education. He said that he had felt at that time that if there had been a secondary school there, even children who did not get an opportunity for education would have been able to pursue higher studies and would not have been deprived of the benefits of education. In those days, it was almost impossible to send girls out of the village to pursue education. He was happy to note that today the children of Paraunkh village are getting education at the Veerangana Jhalkari Bai Inter College.
Emphasizing on the importance of education, the President said that education provides new opportunities for development.
Speaking about the Covid-19 pandemic, the President said that this pandemic has caused great disruption in human life. The adverse impact of epidemic is all pervasive and tragic. Many people have lost their loved ones. To fully eradicate this pandemic, we still need to be extremely cautious. He said that Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state of the country, has taken comprehensive and effective steps for investigation, prevention and vaccination to curb the spread of Covid-19.
The President said that the pandemic has increased awareness towards health and treatment. There is a need for more emphasis on personal as well as public hygiene. Special emphasis is being given to pay attention on fitness and increase immunity to save ourselves from this pandemic.
The President stated that vaccination drive is going on all over the country and also in Uttar Pradesh. He said that vaccine is like a shield for protection against the coronavirus. Therefore, one should not only get vaccinated oneself but also motivate others for get vaccinated.
Later in the afternoon, the President attended another public felicitation function at Pukhrayan. Addressing the gathering at Pukhrayan, he said that although his birthplace is Paraunkh, this region of Pukhrayan has been his workplace. This is where his public life started. That is why this region holds a special place in his life and in his heart. He said that at the beginning of his public life, the affection and strength that the people of this region gave him, kept him motivated to move forward with confidence in his life journey.
Please click here to see the President’s speech in Hindi